Lots of free fun things to do during Richmond Youth Week

Richmond, BC –Richmond’s thirteen- to eighteen-year-olds are in for a lot of fun during Youth Week, May 1 to 7. They are invited to participate in a Fashion Walk–Off; buy or sell handmade creations at the Youth Art Mart; or bounce the night away on a bouncy wall. The City of Richmond and its community association partners are thrilled to present this week of free and low cost activities.

“Here in Richmond, one of our priorities is for our youth to have a safe and healthy transition into adulthood,” says Mayor Malcolm Brodie. “To achieve that, we want to provide our youth with the necessary knowledge, skills and social connections to make informed decisions about their lives and the contribution they wish to make to their community. After all, investing in our youth and ensuring their success will determine the future of Richmond.”

Richmond’s youth continuously display leadership, innovation and dedication to the community through a variety of ways. Organizing events such as the highly renowned Richmond Earth Day Youth Summit; volunteering in popular City events such the Richmond Maritime Festival; and succeeding in fields such as sports, academics, arts, entrepreneurship and social responsibility are some of the excellent contributions of Richmond youth to society.

Here are the fun-filled events planned for Youth Week:

• Colour Bonanza (free) – Let the colour games begin and stain the most people with your team’s colour.
• Night Hoops (free) – This drop-in event is free for youth and is a great opportunity to play some ball at Youth/Adult Basketball Open Gym.
• Acoustic Band Night (free) – Enjoy awesome music all evening from various local youth artists playing their favourite acoustic sets. There will also be the opportunity to perform for those who feel the urge to participate the night of the event.
• Richmond Youth Media Program (RYMP) Drop-in and Mini Easel Build– Drop-in at the Media Lab to check out current projects, meet other youth from Richmond and make your own mini easel/media holder.
• Youth Art Mart (free) – Stop by to check out or purchase original art, jewellery, crafts and more made by local youth aged 13–24.
• Arcadia ($7) – This memorable night features a live DJ, fun lighting, video games, a bouncy wall and more.
• Youth Fitness Expo (free) – Youth ages 13 to 16 years can get moving with this fun Youth Week event involving multi-sport games, spinning, circuit training, yoga and more.
• Video Game Challenge (free) – Come out for an evening of video game fun and challenge other gamers to a variety of retro games, including Mario Kart 64.
• It’s a Walk Off! (free) – Come as you are (but wear your best/quirkiest outfit) and flaunt it at the first annual Fashion Walk-Off for LGBTQ identified and allied youth and compete for the best walk and outfit.

For more details on each event for Richmond Youth Week, visit www.richmond.ca/youthweek.

The needs of Richmond’s youth continue to be a priority to City Council. Currently, the City is updating its Youth Service Plan, which outlines strategic directions to ensure that effective, meaningful and appropriate community services programs, services and opportunity for youth are provided in Richmond. Visit www.richmond.ca/parksrec/youth/strategy to learn more about the Youth Service Plan.

BC Youth Week is held every year in May and is a provincial celebration of youth. It is a week of fun, interaction and celebration intended to build a strong connection between young people and their communities and to profile the issues, accomplishments and diversity of youth across the province.